


down for the count and i’m drownin’ in ‘em

by kishere



Series: helpless [4]
Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Arranged Marriage, Dan's POV, M/M, Nesting, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, pre-heat, religious ceremony, world building
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-28
Updated: 2021-01-12
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:49:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,175
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27245263
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kishere/pseuds/kishere
Summary: they’re stuck in a waiting game, the area of time when Dan knows Phil should be beginning his heat and actually /starting/ his heat. preheat has many side affects including wanting to nest, increased libido, irritation just to name a few.
Relationships: Dan Howell/Phil Lester
Series: helpless [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1799644
Comments: 66
Kudos: 61





	1. and I pray, that never used to happen before

**Author's Note:**

> Three months without uploading she comes back with a banger, sorry I left y’all on a cliff hanger. 
> 
> Bad rhyming aside, I am back and slowly working through this series alongside two others. This is third on my priority list but I’m going to try and post a chapter every other week on this particular story, which will be covering the ~week~ or so of preheat. Get ready for some shenanigans to be honest. 
> 
> I’d also like to thank Lindsay Ellis’ videos about the omegaverse lawsuits for re inspiring me to love ABO.
> 
> thank you profusely to [itsmyusualphannie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/itsmyusualday/pseuds/itsmyusualphannie) for betaing. I owe tara my life :pleadingface:

Dan woke up unable to move. It was different than those mornings when his humors would get out of balance and he felt like standing up was the last thing he would be able to do. For one, there was a literal pressure against his chest, something warm and unyielding. 

He tilted his head until he could see better and saw a mop of light brown hair with an orange tint along with pale shoulders that were lightly dusted with freckles. Dan reached up and gently ran his fingers through the thick hair of his husband’s head, leaning back and enjoying the shared warmth between their bodies. Normally, when Dan thought there was something on his chest, he would fight against it and sweat with night terrors like he was a little boy again. However, there was something soothing about the action of petting Phil’s hair that made the fact he was pinned to the mattress not seem as overwhelming. 

Dan paused in his petting when Philip let out a muffled sound against his chest.

“Phil?” Dan murmured quietly, not wanting to disturb him if he was only between sleep and wakefulness. Dan felt a muffled groan against his chest and felt himself smile up at the ceiling at the sound. 

“What time is it?” Phil asked him, his voice husky.

“Early,” Dan replied, tilting his head toward the window. He could make out the beginning of sunlight coming into the bedroom from underneath the line of the curtains and the fire was low. He would probably need to add more wood to it soon to keep the room warm, Dan thought as he dragged a hand over Phil’s cold exposed shoulder. 

“I should get ready,” Phil mumbled into the quiet of the room. 

“For what?”

“Service,” Phil said simply. 

Dan heard himself make a derisive snort.  
  
Phil huffed and arranged himself so he was able to look at Dan, balancing with his hands on either side of Dan’s head so he was holding himself above Dan’s face. “I knew you were a heretic.”  
  
Dan felt a smile tug at the corner of his mouth. “Oh? That’s a mighty big accusation to make.”  
  
“You haven’t come to a single service since I’ve been here,” Phil continued on like he hadn’t heard Dan. 

“I have better things to do,” Dan said airily as he raised his hands and grazed his fingers on Phil’s sides. He watched as Phil squirmed, letting out a soft giggle. “Ticklish?”  
  
“A little,” Phil admitted before Dan watched his mouth purse up. Dan grazed his fingers down Phil’s sides again and Phil let out a giggling huff. “Don’t distract me, your highness.”  
  
“Your highness? My, my you must be very determined to have me go to service.”

“I am,” Phil said, his weight settling on Dan’s hips as he leaned back. Gods, he was beautiful. His pale skin was dotted with the irregular patterns of freckles and the occasional moles, and his nipples were dusty pink in the sparse lighting of the room. Dan had never desired another as much as he desired this omega.  
  
“What are you willing to do to get me there?”

Phil paused, giving Dan a contemplative look. “What do you mean?”

“I mean...” Dan said, running a hand up Phil’s thigh. He ignored it when Phil swatted at his hand, giving the beautiful flesh under his hand a squeeze instead of moving it further. “...What would you give me in order to make me go to morning prayer?”  
  
Phil’s hand twitched on top of where it laid on Dan’s hand and he was silent for a moment. Dan watched as Phil’s cheeks turned a pink color, blossoming slowly like a rose. “I...I would kiss you.”  
  
Dan moved his hand from Philip’s thigh and used it to sit upright, bringing his face closer to Phil’s. “Is that right?”  
  
“Aye,” Phil said quietly in the space between them. “Would that suffice, Daniel?”  
  
“Aye,” Dan echoed in a whisper before leaning forward and pressing their lips together, claiming Phil’s in a kiss. His hands clasped onto Phil’s hips and he pressed himself closer to Phil, unable to help himself from touching him, wanted to feel him in a way their unbonded state wouldn’t allow them to, wanted to be consumed by him. 

But eventually, Phil pulled away from the kiss, his lips looking fuller and puffier than before. Dan leaned back in to kiss him again, pressing their lips together for a few scant seconds before Phil pulled away again, his lips turned up in a shy smile. 

“I need to get ready,” Phil said. “You as well.” 

Dan closed his eyes and let out a breath through his nose. He carefully let go of Phil’s hips and laid back, feeling a sense of remorse as Phil’s warmth left his body. He watched as Phil climbed out of the bed, turning on his side to watch the other hunt for his longshirt from yesterday. He admired the curve of Phil’s ass and the way his legs muscles tensed as he bent over. Was it weird to want to kiss someone’s leg? Dan wasn’t sure but he knew the next time he bedded Phil, either during heat or before (if luck allowed), he wanted to kiss him everywhere, worship him on every inch of his body. 

“Daniel?”

Dan looked up from Phil’s legs at his name. “Yes?”

“The sooner we go to service, the sooner it’s night again,” Phil said, a hand resting on the back of his own neck. 

“Yes, Hecate is able to give a sermon long enough that it would be night by the time she was done,” Dan drawled but rolled out of his bed anyway. He listened as Phil mumbled under his breath as he walked over to the door of his chamber, opened it, and peeked his head out, glancing to the left where he hoped a guard would be stationed. He grinned when he saw it was Sir Luguori and angled his body awkwardly so that no one walking down the hallway should be able to see his body as he tried to get the guard’s attention.

“Good morning,” Dan called.

“It always is after a good night,” Sir Luguori drawled, looking over at Dan and giving him a wink. “What can I do for you, sire?”

“Would you be able to find someone to help me dress?”

“I’m afraid I’m not allowed to leave my post,” Sir Luguori said, sounding at least a bit remorseful. 

Dan let out a quiet curse. It wasn’t that he couldn’t dress himself; he could, but there was something about the way George, his manservant, happened to tie his ribbons that he was fond of. 

“Thank you,” Dan said before ducking back into the room and shutting the door. When he turned around, Phil was wearing that sinful blue longshirt and sitting on the bed, picking nervously at the edge of the longshirt. He looked up and smiled at Dan, a little subdued. 

“I might be able to help, if you permit it,” Phil said quietly. “I’m not sure what you would need but I can try.”

“Don’t you need to finish getting ready?”

“I have two handmaidens to help. You have no one.”

Dan felt his heart swell with fondness for Phil and his considerate heart.“I’ll let you know if it becomes necessary, darling. For now, sit there and tell me what you have planned for the day.”

Phil was quiet as Dan got ready, washing his face with water from the pitcher from yesterday. The water shouldn’t be that bad; it still smelled pleasant, like the mixture of lavender and other herbs that they mixed in. When he was done washing his face, he walked over to his wardrobe and pulled out a pair of cream-colored hose, a black silk shirt, and a black doublet with the crest of the Howell house embroidered on the left side of his chest. He studiously ignored the shades of purple in his wardrobe, knowing those were saved for other days more important than this. 

“I was hoping to go see the town,” he heard Phil speak. 

“Hmmm?” Dan said, looking up from where he was pulling up his hose. 

“I want to go see Reading, the town,” Phil repeated himself. “I was hoping to see if they had a fabric or a tailoring shop.”

Dan looked over at his husband who was looking back at him with wide eyes. Dan wasn’t close enough to see what color they were right now and it was disappointing; he loved watching the colors switch and dance. The one bright side of not being close enough to see Phil’s eyes was that he wouldn’t have to see them dim.

“I am not sure if it would be safe for you,” Dan said, continuing to pull up his hose. “Going alone, even with your ladies as fierce as Lady Pentland is.”  
  
“I could take Sir Christopher,” Phil said. “He is part of my guard, is he not?”  
  
“He is,” Dan said slowly. He pursed his lips as he thought about it. Did Phil not feel the way he did? This constant need to be near him? Even being in the same room wasn’t enough; Dan wanted to be curled around the other right now, making sure he was safe. Dan had spent the past few weeks orbiting around Phil, keeping an ear out for the other, making time for him, trying to let Phil come to him. He had last night, but what if now that Phil’s lust was sated, he didn’t want Dan around? Was Dan not enough of an alpha for the other? Was that why he wanted to go into town with Sir Christopher?

Neither Dan nor his alpha liked the idea of that. 

“I will go with you,” Dan said, not meeting Phil’s eyes. He had heard the poets say that eyes were the window to one’s soul and right now, Dan’s soul was something he didn’t want Phil to see. Didn’t want him to see the jealousy he was sure was there boiling. 

“Don’t you have your studies?”

“I’m caught up,” Dan lied. Honestly, he had been falling behind in his studies since Phil had joined him at the castle. He did the bare minimum each day, but he spent most of his time daydreaming about what he could be doing with his future mate instead. His tutors would probably be relieved if he gave them a day off, and he could endure whatever scathing letter his father would send to him.

This was more important, he thought as Phil beamed at him. 

“That’s fantastic!” Phil exclaimed, sitting up straighter on the bed and bouncing a few times like a small, excited child. “Oh, you could take me to that bread stand!”  
  
“Didn’t you eat enough of it last night?” Dan teased, pulling on his doublet over his silk shirt and beginning to button it. 

“Nay, I don’t think I could ever eat enough of it,” Phil said, not an ounce of shame in his voice. 

Dan rolled his eyes fondly at his husband’s fondness for sweets but didn’t dare comment on it. His own fondness was almost as bad. “Be off with you, minx. You have very little time to get ready.”  
  
Phil rose off the bed and walked over to the connecting door.

“Wait,” Dan said, walking over to Phil and crowding him against the door. His scent was sweet like a lemon pastry. He leaned in and pressed a chaste kiss to Phil’s lips, pulling away just as soon as Phil started to respond to the kiss. 

“I already gave you your kiss,” Phil said through a smile. 

“Aye, for service,” Dan said, taking a step back. “That one was for waking me up early.”  
  
“Oh?”

“Mhmm,” Dan hummed. He raised his eyebrows as Phil took a step forward and pressed a quick kiss to his lips, so quick Dan didn’t even have time to react. Phil was close enough that he could see the freckles on his cheeks, see the way his eyes shined. “What was that for?”

“Because it was _you_ who woke _me_ early,” Phil said, airily, stepping back from Dan and opening the door. “I’ll see you soon, heretic.”

“Not a heretic,” Dan called as the door shut in his face. He regretted his loud voice, hoping he didn’t wake up Lady Pentland and Lady Wynn, but the laughter he heard through the door was worth it.

-

“May the nourishment of the earth be yours—”  
  
Dan was sure Hecate was purposely trying to make this service long. He hadn’t heard this particular blessing in a while. Maybe she was just pleased that _she_ had been able to get him to come to a service before she was due to return to his grandmother’s side. 

He was kneeling in front of the altar, staring as the incense burned in the giant cauldron there to represent Dagda. He was almost overwhelmed with the amount of incense needed to have smoke clear the top in a bellowing effect. He stared at the intricate carvings of nature and runes older than Dan (older than King Arthur, if legend was to be believed, but Dan doubted they would keep something that important in Reading) on the wooden altar, trying to focus on what was being said. He could feel Phil kneeling next to him, occasionally squirming as if he would rather be running outside. 

“May the clarity of light be yours, may the fluency of the ocean be yours, may the protection of the ancestors be yours,” Hecate recited from memory. She reached into the cauldron, her fingers coming back gray from the ash of the incense. She leaned forward, using her cane to stabilize herself, and drew on Phil’s forehead. Dan watched as she drew a straight line down the center of Phil’s forehead and then two triangles attached to it, the tips pointing towards Dan. She dipped her hand back into the pot and Dan held his breath, feeling his nose twitch as some of the ash fell onto his nose. He felt Hecate draw a huge diamond in the middle of his forehead, sign of Ing, god of genesis.

Could they make it anymore obvious they wanted another generation of heirs? Dan thought, mumbling out a thank you to Hecate. 

“May the face of every good news, and the back of every bad news, be towards us,” Hecate finally finished up the seervice, and Dan’s knees thanked him as he slowly stood up. 

He immediately turned and helped Phil to his feet, his shoulders dropping in relief as their skin made contact when Phil took his hand. He hadn’t even realized they were raised at all. Was his alpha spirit just concerned that he wasn’t touching Phil? Or was that a _Dan_ trait? His alpha had never been something that was close to the surface; his father had been convinced he would present as a beta for the longest time, so having all these _feelings_ all the _time_ was something he was adjusting to and he felt like he was going through presentation again. 

“Daniel?” Phil said quietly, and Dan realized he was still holding Phil’s hand. He gave it a gentle squeeze before letting it drop. 

“Ah yes, Your Highness,” Hecate cut in, hobbling over on her cane. “I’m so glad you were able to break away from your duties to come to prayer. We’ve missed you here.”  
  
Dan felt the gentle rebuke in his words, honestly surprised that Hecate wasn’t promising an eternal run through a never-ending forest of horrors of Arawn’s creation. He nodded. “Aye, they have been piling up, but I’m glad my husband was able to guide me here.”

“He’s a fine young lad,” Hecate said as if Phil wasn’t there, “and someday he’ll make a fine begetter.” 

“With your guidance and prayer, I do not doubt it,” Dan said, laying the flattery on thick. He had found over the years as the prince that sometimes all people wanted was to feel appreciated and a compliment here or there, the image of favor, was sometimes enough to get him out of conversations. 

Luckily, he was cut short by Ana, the most recent priestess of Reading, coming to his aide. He could have sworn she winked at him as she approached, but surely it was a trick of the light. 

“Hecate, let’s get you back to your chambers where it’s warm,” Ana said gently to the old woman. “Let us let the princes break fast. They’ll need the energy to enact Morrigan’s plan.” 

“Oh, you claim to know Morrigan’s plans, do you?” Hecate said to her, turning and raising a gray eyebrow, so faint one could barely see it. 

“No, never,” Ana said. “But the rune stones have been showing more and more of Ing and Berkana every time I roll them.”

“A most auspicious sign,” Hecate agreed. 

Dan felt a shudder come over him, doing his best not to look at Phil. It would be one thing if Ana had been rolling for only one or the other of the fertility signs, but to be rolling for both? Uncanny.

Or maybe Phil’s maids were gossips and spoke to the priestess of Phil’s upcoming heat, the more rational side of Dan (the heretical side if Phil ever heard these thoughts, Dan thought with a smile) cut in. Maybe there was no such thing as gods and the fae and sometimes crops fail because crops fail, not because a god has taken favor away. 

Instead of saying this, Dan nodded, making sure to keep smiling. “That is excellent news. May the runes come to fruition.”

Dan saw Phil, the back of his neck flushed, nodding along as well out of the corner of his eye. “Yes, may they come to fruition. Would I be able to get a private reading from the both of you before you leave, Priestess Hecate?” 

“Of course, child,” Hecate practically crooned. 

Dan saw Phil do a deep, omega bow to her. “Thank you for your guidance.”  
  
“Of course, of course,” Hecate said before turning to Ana. “Should we go break fast, girl?”  
  
Dan could see Ana visibly stiffen as she stood but she didn’t argue at the dismissive name from Hecate. “Yes, high priestess, of course,” she said as she turned and started walking towards the doorway to the left of the altar, not waiting for Hecate to walk with her. She held the door open for the older woman and when they finally left the room, Dan turned and looked at Phil fully for the first time since he had entered the prayer space.

Phil was dressed in another blue long shirt, this one considerably lighter than the navy blue from last night. He was wearing the sapphire fobs that Dan had commissioned for him and Dan’s alpha felt smug seeing Phil wear something from them, wanted to show everyone who Phil belonged to since his neck was still unmarked by them. Dan shook his head slightly, trying to shake the possessive thoughts from his head, but he couldn’t help but reach for Phil, adjusting the collar of his shirt just so he had an excuse to touch him. Dan heard Phil inhale as he fingers knocked against the metal collar. “Sorry,” Dan apologized.

“I...I don’t mind,” Phil seemed to choke out, looking towards the back of the room. Dan, when he turned his head, saw a considerable amount of Phil’s household staring anywhere but at them. Subtle. Dan let his hand drop away from Phil and felt the back of his neck grow warm. What was his father going to say when he heard that Dan was going around adjusting his omega’s clothing for him like he was a manservant or worse, a handmaiden? Speaking of his father, he had to write him a letter today, one that included a weekly update of his progress in his studies and his attempts to have “an heir and a spare” as soon as possible.

(Dan was pretty sure his father thought of him as the spare.)

“I, um,” Dan said, freezing when Phil’s eyes met his. He just wanted to go swimming in those eyes. “I have to delay taking you to town by half an hour, mayhaps an hour. I must pen my father a letter, and if I have it penned and sent off early enough, it can reach him today.”  
  
“I can wait,” Phil said, smiling sweetly at Dan. “Take all the time you need.”

“I’ll send someone to ready the horses for us,” Dan said, pausing as he remembered Phil’s distrust of horses, “and a cart.”

“How far is town from here?”  
  
“Far enough.”  
  
“Too far to walk?”  
  
“No...but...” Dan paused, not sure how polite it was to bring up Phil’s more delicate constitution. “It may be taxing.”  
  
“It seems a pity to make Ser Jenna work that hard when we are perfectly capable of walking,” Phil continued, looking at Dan with big eyes.  
  
Dan was helpless looking into Phil’s eyes. Did his husband carry witchcraft in his blood that made Dan weak to his wants? He pretended to look out the window over Phil’s shoulder, leaning forward just enough to smell his intoxicating lemon scent that grew brighter every minute. “The weather should be lovely enough today to walk, you’re right.”

Phil clasped his hands together in front of his chest and had the biggest smile on his face. “I’ll go tell Lady Pentland and Lady Wynn.” Phil looked around before grasping Dan’s hand in his and pulling it to his mouth, pressing a quick kiss to Dan’s open palm. “Thank you for indulging me.”

Dan felt something warm run down the center of his chest, as if Phil had found a line directly connected to his heart in his hand. “Of course,” he said quietly, watching as Phil turned to leave, walking quickly towards Lady Pentland and Lady Wynn at the back of the prayer space. Dan clenched his hand, wanting to keep that warm feeling for a moment longer.

 _Of course… you’re my omega_ , Dan thought as he watched him excitedly talk to his ladies. He turned and went back to his room to quickly pen off the letter to his father, taking twice as long as he thought he would since he was thinking of his husband the entire time. **  
**


	2. in new york, you can be a new man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in which they go to kittens and get reading....wait...

Dan watched in amusement as Phil walked ahead of him on the road to the town of Reading. He stopped what seemed like every few steps and sniffed a flower or tried to chase a rabbit that had hopped in the middle of the trail. Phil would pause every so often and turn to look at Dan like he was asking Dan’s permission to be that far ahead of him, not moving until Dan smiled at him or gave him an indication to keep going. It was like watching Phil be free in the tiny center of the maze and Dan was happy to watch him walk ahead and explore everything.

“He’s spirited, isn’t he?” Dan heard someone from Phil’s household say to someone else behind him. He wasn’t sure who it was except that it was not Lady Wynn or Lady Pentland, who were walking behind Phil and in Dan’s line of sight. He had been expecting it to be a day without a horde of people, but alas, once word got out that the two princes wanted to go to town, suddenly it was fashionable to go to town, so they had a group of twenty, including a few guards. 

“Aye, he is,” he heard a different lady reply with a chuckle. 

“Most unusual for an omega,” he heard a snide voice cut in. “Especially a  _ breeder _ . Shouldn’t he be pregnant by now?”   
  
Dan clenched his hand into a fist and resisted the urge to turn around and cut into the conversation to rebuke the woman. He knew what people had been saying about his choice to marry a male omega from his own country instead of reaching out to any of the available princesses, duchesses, or generally more fertile females. While most tolerated his marriage, some of the nobility had felt snubbed that their own daughters or even male omega sons had not been considered. Instead of cutting into the conversation, he kept himself facing forward and watching Phil to make sure he didn’t stumble or get too tired from the exercise.    


It took them not even an hour to reach town, mostly slowed by the large group of people they were traveling with, and Dan was glad they did when he saw Phil’s face as he stared into the town. His face was glowing, slightly tinged red from the sun, as he stared upon Reading. In the middle of town was a large, empty town square where every year there would be a competition for bards and musicians. Lining the square were many shops and a few open booths with wares laid out on the table in front of them. It wasn’t nearly as busy as when the minstrel competition was in full swing. There were many overlapping scents, not all of them pleasant, but there was enough smell of roasting meat to cancel out some of the more unpleasant smells. The town was loud and active, children running through the streets and playing while some women were near a fountain in town, washing linens, occasionally shouting. Everyone’s scents overlapped each other but Dan could smell Phil’s excited lemon and cream scent clearly, attuned to it. 

“Where did you want to go? A tailor?”

“Yes,” Phil answered quietly, breathy in excitement, his head swiveling around to take in all the sights. “Or a cloth merchant.”

“They won’t be as fine as the tailors in France or even London, but there should be one of those around,” Dan said, smiling in amusement at Phil looking around. He looked absolutely enthralled by everything going on. Although it did nag in the back of Dan’s mind: why was Phil the one who was coming to pick out cloth instead of the castle tailor? Was he starting a new project? He had never even asked. “What uh...kind of cloth are you looking for?”   
  
“Something warm and soft for a blanket. I haven’t made a blanket before, but I wanted to learn,” Phil said with a laugh, looking long at one of the booths that had pastries laid out on a grimey looking cloth. 

A blanket? Was Phil not warm enough at night? Dan would make sure to see the laundresses would send another blanket up to Phil’s ro—

Wait, Dan thought, his chest growing warm at the thought that Phil would be sleeping with him this week. They had talked about this last night, how Phil was going into heat soon and wanted to scent Dan’s chamber so it would be a familiar setting when he went into heat. Dan would have the blanket sent up to his own room then. 

Dan realized he had been quiet and lost in thought, not even noticing when Phil had walked ahead of him, Sir Luguori following him with a hand on his sword’s hilt. He was stopped at a stall that had small trinkets laid out on the table. Phil was talking to the man who was manning the stall, his hand demurely clasped in front of his stomach as he spoke. Dan bit his lower lip. His omega shouldn’t be the one striking a deal, it should be him. He looked behind him to see if there was anyone there who saw Phil’s misstep and came face to face with Lady Corbin and a few other ladies.

“Hello, m’lord,” she greeted, giving a low curtsey. 

“Hello,” Dan said, giving a quick bow.

“He’s quite...forward,” Lady Corbin said with a grin, but Dan could see something unkind behind the smile.

Dan gave the lady what he was sure was a strained smile. “Aye, he is.”

“Was he this forward when you met, m’lord? He won’t tell us how he managed to capture your eye,” Lady Corbin continued, batting her eyes at Dan. 

Dan blinked, unsure of what to think of that statement. Phil wouldn’t tell his ladies how they met? Sure, their first meeting was very public but their second meeting had been a lot more subdued and Dan had thought it very romantic…

_ Dan was drenched in sweat. Why had he been born in the summer when the weather and stench seemed at its strongest? Being in the great hall of the castle, crammed with all the usual castle hanger-ons and the visiting nobility, over-perfumed (or their natural scent, which was an even worse thought), was a sweaty, smelly affair. Dan looked to the side door that the servants normally used and made a split second decision to duck through it, not sure if he could take the boisterous cheers and drunken shouting for another moment. He turned left after going through the door and eventually found himself outside the doors of the great hall, the large imposing doors seeming to mock him. He glared at them and resisted the urge to kick them with the thin soles of his formal boots that were made more for decoration than any substantial use.  _

_ Instead of kicking the door, he walked through the castle until he found the door to one of the balconies, ducking out the door and making sure to keep the creaky door propped open with a stone so no one would lock him out on there. It had only happened five times, but his father’s disappointed glare when they found him had been enough to try and avoid that lecture again. He breathed in the fresh air with greedy gulps and looked over the streets of London. He could see the occasional light flicker through the town, along with some celebratory bonfires, and he wished for a long moment he was back in Reading where he couldn’t see anything past the forest that surrounded the castle. He wished that his birthday had been more subdued, even if he was turning eighteen. Being eighteen meant nothing; it was just another year of being under his father’s wishes. He didn’t know how long he was there, reminiscing on growing another year older, but he was broken from his thoughts as he heard the loud creak of the door behind him. _

_ “Oh, sorry, I did not mean to impose, m’lord,” he heard a quiet voice behind him say as he turned. Dan felt himself freeze when he saw Philip Lester dropped in the low bow of an omega, looking absolutely divine in a gauzy, blue dress. He didn’t look as comfortable in the dress as he had in the longshirt he had worn earlier but Dan wanted to have him painted as he was, pale skin dancing under the moonlight.  _

_ “You are not,” Dan blurted out, desperate to keep Philip where he was. “Imposing. You are not imposing.” _

_ “Oh,” Philip said, looking at Dan. Dan watched as Philip grabbed some of the cloth from the front of his dress and clenched his fingers around it. Did Dan make him nervous? “That is a relief, m'lord.”  _

_ “You’ve actually made this night better with your presence,” Dan said before closing his mouth with an audibleclink of his teeth.  _

_ Dan watched as Phil clenched the cloth harder before loosening his grip. “Is that so, m’lord?” _

_ “Aye,” Dan said softly, taking a step closer to Phil, who smelt like lemons. Not rotten lemons, not nervous, but just lemons. “Is...is it okay that I’ve said that?” _ _  
_ _  
_ _ “Yes,” Phil breathed out but took a step back. “I….I shouldn’t be alone with an alpha, m’lord, even if he is the prince.” _

_ “Then when can I see you again?” _ _  
_ _  
_ _ Phil was quiet for a moment before he smiled, something soft and timid that made Dan want to  _ **_protect_ ** _. “I’ll save you a dance.” _

_ “An honor, since I’m sure your dances are probably all spoken for.” _ _  
_ _  
_ _ “All but one,” Phil promised before taking a few more steps back. “I must go back.” _

_ “To the heavens?” _ _  
_ _  
_ _ “No,” Phil laughed. Dan was just able to make out a soft flush on Phil’s cheeks. “There are many much more deserving of that comment than I.” _ _  
_ _  
_ _ “Nay,” Dan said. “For you-”  _ _  
_ _  
_ _ “Philip!” A voice called out from the hallway.  _

_ “Go,” Dan said. “Don’t forget our dance.” _ _  
_ _  
_ _ “I could never m’lord.” _

“M’lord?” Lady Corbin cut into his daydream.

“He wasn’t forward at all,” Dan finally replied before bowing quickly. “Now if you excuse me theydies, my husband needs me.”

Dan thought he saw Lady Corbin’s lower lip stick out in a pout as he turned to join Phil at the stall he was at. 

Phil turned to him excitedly and pointed at some of the trinkets on the cloth. “He made them all himself. Isn’t he talented?”   
  
Dan took a look over the wooden trinkets, his eyes lingering on a small wooden box with intricate, but not perfect, carvings on it. It had some blueish paint in some of the carved out pieces and had a crow on a large circle on the top. It was the perfect size for holding letters and Dan had a small collection of letters he wanted to save. “He is.”   
  
“Thank you sire,” said the owner of the stall. 

“How much for this box?” Dan asked, reaching out and tapping the one with a raven on it.

“A shilling, sire,” the stall owner said after considering the box. Dan nodded and dug out the piece of metal, giving it to the beta man and picking up the box. It was surprisingly heavy for its size and it took Dan a moment to adjust. He turned to Phil. “Was there anything you wanted?” 

“No, no,” Phil said, looking back at the trinkets.

“Are you sure?” Dan asked, looking at the trinkets on the table. 

Phil laughed, waving goodbye to the man at the stall. “This kind gentleman gave me directions which is invaluable.”   
  
“So you know where we’re going?”   
  
“Oh, Da- m’lord, I wouldn’t want to drag you on my silly quest,” Phil said, touching the palm of his hand to the side of his neck like he was trying to cover his scent gland there. Was that a trait Phil had when he wasn’t wearing a collar? 

“It’s my honor to join you,” Dan said before looking at some of the other stalls, distracted by a stall that had metal lining it and was glinting in the sunshine. Some of the other ladies from their party were also there, looking over the metal and gushing. “One moment. Do you mind accompanying me to a stall?”   
  
“Of course,” Phil said, falling in next to Dan in step as Sir Lugouri followed behind them. 

Dan approached the stall with metal and saw why the women were so enchanted. This stall was different from all the other stalls in that these pieces had a more refined look to them than the surrounding stalls. While they were laid on a handmade shall, they looked like things that one would see at Dan’s father’s court at Hampton. 

“I just brought them from London,” the alpha woman manning the stall said. “Some are even from France, m’lord.”

Dan scanned the table and stopped when he saw a beautiful silver ring with a large blue jewel in the middle. He suspected it wasn’t a true sapphire but it wouldn’t hurt for Phil to have more jewelry. He also saw a small pair of earrings with a clear stone in them with a flared, almost lace look in the metal that surrounded them. Moonstone, Dan’s mind supplied. 

Dan turned to look at Phil, noticing for the first time today that Phil wasn’t wearing any jewelry, a stark contrast to the ladies and other male omegas that accompanied him. Did he not have any? Dan knew he had given him some jewelry once that had married but did Phil not have  _ enough _ ?

“Ser, may I have these two items?” Dan asked, pointing at the earrings and the ring.

“Of course. Five gold,” the other alpha replied. 

“Oh sire, won’t you buy us something?” one of the ladies tittered as the merchant handed him the items he had pointed at. 

“No, I think I should only buy for the most beautiful person here,” Dan said with a laugh, turning to Phil after paying the merchant. He bowed deep and presented Phil with the jewelry. Dan watched as Phil’s eyebrows drew together. Did he not like them? Did he prefer a different stone?

“Why me, sire?” Phil asked, blinking his eyes and looking truly befuddled. 

Dan let out a breath that he didn’t know he had been holding and pressed the pieces into Phil’s palm as he spoke. “Because you’re the most enchanting person in the British Isles.”

Dan watched as Phil looked around to the other women and back at Dan, his face slowly pinkening. 

“Thank you, sire,” Phil whispered, clasping the jewels in his hand, trapping Dan’s fingers momentarily. “You spoil me.”

Dan heard some of the women talking behind them but he watched as Phil examined the jewelry with a smile on his face before putting the ring on. It was a little big on Phil’s thin fingers so Phil had to put it on the middle finger of his right hand. He looked around and bit his lower lip. 

“What troubles you?”   
  
“I was looking for Lo- Lady Pentland to help me put on the earrings,” Phil explained. “She must be enjoying her time in town.”

“I can help, zir,” one of the male omegas said, stepping forward. Phil looked between the earrings and the omega before bending down slightly so the omega could put the earring in for him. Dan watched as the male omega carefully put the earrings through Phil’s ears. 

They looked stunning on him, Dan thought with a critical eye. “Beautiful,” he heard himself whisper. 

Phil turned a deeper shade of pink and looked away from Dan, taking a small step back, reminding Dan of that second time they had met. “Th-thank you, Daniel. I mean, sire,” Phil said so quietly, Dan was pretty sure the only other person that heard was the male omega who was still standing by. “Oh, and thank you Zir Williams. Do you and others wish to accompany us to the tailor as well?”   
  
“Oh no, I wouldn’t want to impose,” Zir Williams said. 

Phil smiled gently. “It wouldn’t be an imposition at all.”

Yes it would, Dan thought meanly to himself. He wanted time alone with Phil, not Phil and his entourage. The omega must have seen this on Dan’s face and looked back at Phil, giving an excuse as to why he couldn’t go, drowned out by the others behind them chiming in that they wanted to go. Phil laughed and said they could all come, his earrings swaying as he turned his head.

That would have to be enough for Dan for now he thought as he followed the group, watching as they tripped over themselves to compliment Phil’s new jewelry all the way to the tailor’s.

-

Dan escaped the tailor during a quiet moment where Phil and some of the others in the party were feeling up different cloths, feeling only mildly hurt when Phil barely acknowledged his leaving. Phil had had a strained smile on his face and Dan thought he looked a little overwhelmed as each of the theydies in waiting would call his name and try to get Phil’s attention, shoving different colored cloth in Phil’s face and insisting he touch. Dan thought about helping Phil, about walking over and placing a subtle hand on Phil’s lower back and speaking low and calm to help relax his (almost, so close he could taste the end of the collars) omega, but he knew he also needed to let Phil find his footing in court as well. Maybe he’d reach out to his mother and see if she could come visit and help Phil get his house in order.

He turned and walked out of the door, nodding at Sir Lugouri and another guard who stood guard outside the tailor’s shop.

“Where are you going sire?” Sir Lugouri asked before falling into step a deferential step behind Dan. Dan looked back to make sure the other guard wasn’t following them as well, wanting to make sure someone would be around to keep Phil safe. Reading was a small town, but Dan could never be sure. He felt his shoulders relax marginally when he saw the guard stand still in his spot in front of the door, the royal livery on display. 

“Just needed some air,” Dan replied, his eyes scanning the town square. 

“Or you need to learn how to share,” Sir Lugouri quipped easily. 

Dan did not dignify that with a response, no matter how true that statement was. His alpha, and by extension Dan, couldn’t seem to want anything other than to curl against Phil and keep all of the omega’s attention on him. Getting to know him better hasn’t done anything to ease this desire either; he’s learned the other is funny and considerate and...and  _ perfect _ . 

Dan huffed and continued to walk, looking around the square for any stalls or stores that managed to capture his attention. He stopped by a few of the stalls but found nothing else he wanted to buy; most of what he wanted needed to be commissioned by the masters that resided in his father’s court in London. He was walking by a rather rank alleyway between two of the stores when he heard the desperate screech of a young cat, causing him to pause. He listened for a few moments, to the sound of about three distinguishable meows, but there might be more that just weren’t strong enough to make noise. He bit his lower lip in thought before squaring his shoulders and turning down the alleyway, ignoring the stench of piss that had gone sour. 

“Sire?” Sir Lugouri asked, following him down the alleyway. “I’m not sure this is safe.”   
  
“What else could be down here?” Dan asked, walking until the cries were nearly frantic, like they knew some form of help was on its way. It seemed to be coming from a burlap sack that was laying in a puddle.

“Vagabonds, vagrants, take your pick,” Sir Lugouri said as Dan knelt down in front of the burlap sack before picking it up.“Oh, let’s not forget general ne’er-do-wells. Sire, what are you  _ doing _ ?” 

“Ah yes, down a perfectly empty alleyway where people dump their piss, that is where I would go as a ne’er-do-well,” Dan sassed back as he opened the sack. He was surprised to find five kittens in the bag, all clamouring for attention the second light hit their barely opened eyes. He stuck his hand in to pet the kittens and was surprised that it had made them meow louder. “Ow.”   
  
“Sire?”   
  
“One nipped me, ow, do not worry,” Dan said, pulling his hand out of the bag. It didn’t look like it had broken skin but Dan suspected this was what Phil felt when he jabbed himself while sewing. “A vagrant didn’t get me yet.”   
  
“Next time, I’ll just let you go alone,” Sir Lugouri threatened, but Dan knew it was an idle threat. A jest really, because Sir Lugouri was holding out his hand to hold the sack. “We should probably find something less wet for them to reside in.”

“We shall,” Dan said, unsure of where to go for something like that. He racked his brain for a moment for an idea and figured cloth was cloth and they could construct a new bag out of something bought from the cloth store. Dan started walking back towards the beginning of the alleyway and towards the cloth shop. Sir Lugouri followed him, clutching the bag against his chest plate and doing an admirable job of not crushing the mewling cargo inside.

“What are your plans for them, sire?”   
  
“Whichever ones my husband doesn’t desire will be mousers,” Dan said. “Hell, the one that is picked will probably still be a mouser.” 

“There have been more mice than usual in the prince’s residence,” Sir Lugouri drawled.   
  
“I was thinking they were more like rats,” Dan muttered under his breath, thinking of the way Lady Corbin had smiled earlier, the very glamour of happiness while barely hiding disdain in her eyes.

“A mouse, a rat, a snake,” Sir Lugouri said. “Your opinions of others in court never cease to amaze me.”   
  
Dan shrugged. “It could be worse.”   
  
“I know, you could actually be telling this to the rat’s faces,” Sir Lugouri said with barely concealed glee at Dan’s malice before ducking his head and making gentle shushing noises to the bag against his chest. 

The duality of man, Dan thought as his eyes rolled in amusement at the ridiculousness of his most trusted knight. He stopped in the doorway of the shop, relieved that the other guard was still stationed out front, and turned back to PJ. “Wait here, I’ll be right out with some new cloth.”   
  
“Yes, sire,” Sir Lugouri said, giving an aborted bow before opening the bag a little and sticking his hand in. 

Dan walked back into the fabric store and blinked at the sight in front of him. Phil was standing by the counter with Lady Wynn (whose basket by her feet was already overflowing), sorting through various cloths while the others in his party were looking at the meager offering of laces and ribbons the shop had to offer. Phil was standing almost still, but Dan could see the way that his fingers pinched and worried at the cloth between them as he tested the quality of it. The light from the window gave Phil’s hair a slight sheen to it, glowing a light copper. Lady Wynn caught his eye and dropped into a quick curtsey, causing Phil to look over as if broken through a trance. Dan watched as Phil flushed and ducked into a bow. 

“Are you finding everything alright?” Dan asked as he approached Phil, reaching out and feeling the cloth Phil had in his hand. 

“Aye,” Phil said, with a frown. “What do you think of this cloth?”   
  
It was a hideous yellow color. “It’s bright,” Dan said, doing his best to be diplomatic. 

“Yes, but is it soft enough?” Phil asked, locking eyes with Dan like the answer to this question was life or death. 

“It is very soft,” Dan said after massaging the cloth between his fingers another few times. “Perfect for a blanket.”

Phil ducked his head, but Dan could see the beginnings of a very pleased smile on his lips. Dan wished they were in private so he could press a kiss to those red lips. Instead he settled on stroking a hand across Phil’s before pulling away. “I require your assistance.”   
  
“Oh?” Phil said, sounding a marvelous mixture of confused and bemused. “What can I help you with, sire?”   
  
“I require some cloth. Something soft, just like this,” Dan said, reaching out and retouching the yellow cloth. 

“What do you require cloth for?”

“It’s for a small surprise,” Dan said, nearly squirming at the idea of presenting another gift to his omega. He caught Lady Wynn’s eye momentarily and she smiled at him in a way that said she knew everything. She probably did; Lady Wynn was far too clever. 

“Oh,” Phil breathed out, his eyes darting to Lady Wynn for a moment. Dan watched as he frowned for a moment, his eyes narrowing before he looked away from Lady Wynn. There was a slight smell of burnt lemons in the air. He took a step closer to Dan as he worried his bottom lip and pointed at a red cloth that laid across the cutting table. “This one would be nice. Here, feel.”

Phil surprised Dan by grabbing his wrist and pressing Dan’s hand down into the fabric. He surprised Dan further by twisting his wrist to gently rub their wrists together when he let go, giving a satisfied looking nod as he pulled his hand away. Dan couldn’t tell if this fabric would be good or not, his throat suddenly parched at the bold, boardline  _ obscene _ action that had come from Phil. Sure, family members would often touch and scent each other when seeing each other after a long period of time, but Phil had never done something like this. Had lying together improved their intimacy? Could Dan do the same thing or would Phil pull away? 

_ Gods _ , he hated these stupid fucking collars. He wanted to reach out and rub his wrist against Phil’s neck, see if that would soothe the stiff set to his shoulders, make Phil relax like he had been last night when he was post-coital and fucked out. 

Dan felt embarrassed as he saw Phil starting to color, not meeting Dan’s eyes. Dan inhaled and could smell himself leaking citrus-noted pheromones all over the place. He really was acting like a newly presented boy again.

“Sorry,” Dan said quietly, taking a small step back from Phil, whose face tightened at the movement. Dan took a step back towards Phil and caressed his upper arm with a few fingers. “Sorry.”   
  
“You have nothing to apologize for,” Phil said quietly. “My humors must be off; the fault is mine.”   
  
Dan nodded slowly. It made sense that Phil’s humors might be off with his approaching heat. That didn’t mean Dan couldn’t try to do something to alleviate some of what ailed him. Maybe the kittens would improve his husband’s mood? 

Oh shite, the kittens. 

Dan looked back towards the door before looking at the shopkeeper. “I need some of this fabric.” He tapped on the yellow cloth he had first touched, the color making him think of Phil and his lemon scent.   
  
“How much, sire?” the shopkeeper asked, pulling out a pair of scissors that shined in the dim lighting of the shop. 

“Enough to make a pouch,” Dan said with a shrug. 

“A big pouch? Small?”   
  
“Big,” Dan said, nodding with a confidence he did not possess about this matter. He wasn’t a man of fabric after all, even if the clothes made the man. He watched as the shopkeeper cut the fabric and handed him a few gold pieces for his trouble, sure it would cover whatever Phil wanted too, making sure to tell the shopkeeper that as well.

“I, Daniel. Sire, you did not have to be that generous to me,” Phil stuttered. However, Dan could smell his pleased scent, something embedded in his brain after last night when Phil had been sated and laid atop him like a lazy kitten himself, all but purring as Dan had raked his fingers across his scalp gently. 

“Of course, I did,” Dan said, smiling at Phil, lifting up his hand and pressing a quick kiss to the top of his hand. “Now enjoy yourself. Pick out as much as you want.”   


“The kingdom will surely go broke then, Daniel,” Phil teased, a small smile playing at the corners of his mouth. “I have a healthy appreciation for fabrics.”

“Some cloth, some cloth, my kingdom for some cloth,” Dan teased back.

Phil tipped his head back laughing, showing off the collar around his neck. Dan wished he was able to gaze upon Phil’s pale skin and see his mark there. Soon, Dan promised himself, his eyes darting down to Phil’s stomach. 

Soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which I’m a lying liar and I have not been posting biweekly. I do have a couple other projects I’ve been working on (cheeky spon) so this might be downgraded to a once a month project until April. I apologize for any inconvience or tears this may cause.


	3. stay alive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a present...or two. some are more appreciated than others.

Dan knew he should have written more letters during their engagement. He had listened to Sir Luguori who said that sending the occasional letter was preferable because it would “increase the longing between them.” Dan had been tipsy (and a bit desperate to make the omega want him no matter how) and had taken the advice to heart. He had sent a letter only once a month instead of sending one weekly like he had wanted to. He had wanted to know everything about the beautiful omega, and his monthly letter in return had barely been enough to sate his curiosity. 

Certainly, Dan thought as he carefully watched Phil’s eyes start to water as he held a kitten close to his face, he would have found out about his husband’s body’s aversion to felines.

Phil _himself_ did not have an aversion to the kittens; he had grabbed for the kittens at any opportunity once Dan had presented them to him last night and would nuzzle against them until his face was red and splotchy. He doted on them as much as he could but he would occasionally have to set the kittens down and take some shaky, deep breaths, letting out rattling coughs that shook his whole frame. 

It was also maddening that Phil refused to acknowledge what was happening. Dan would watch him go through a coughing fit and ask if he was okay and Phil would brush him (or Lady Pentland or Lady Wynn) off. 

“Philip,” Dan said as calmly as he could as he watched his husband cough into the crook of his elbow. He was doing his best to ignore the drainage coming out of Phil’s nose. “Are you alright?” 

“Never better,” Phil answered, his voice raspy but a small smile across his face. 

Dan hummed in thought. “Are you sure? We could have them moved to the barn; Ser Marbles would probably enjoy a new project before they rearrange the horses again.”

Phil frowned, looking down at the kitten on the floor. “But they are so wee, Daniel.”

Dan looked at the two kittens who had gathered by Phil’s feet, one going as far as laying boldly across his foot. Perhaps they had picked up that Phil had a soft spot for them and would protect them. 

“I understand they are wee,” Dan said, examining the kittens once more. “But I also like my husband alive.”  
  
“I’m fine,” Phil said, his lower lip sticking out slightly in a pout. He turned into his elbow and let out another set of rattling coughs. 

Dan felt his eyebrows raise, resisting the urge to say he was right. Instead, he asked, “Are you sure?”  
  
Phil narrowed his eyes at him (or maybe the coughing was that vigorous). Phil looked down at the kittens and Dan could see the moment Phil realized he couldn’t keep this up. His shoulders fell and he had a frown marring his beautiful features. He actually looked to be tearing up a bit and Dan couldn’t tell if it was his body’s aversion or sadness causing the tears. 

“D...do you think Ser Marbles will mind?”

“Not at all,” Dan said quietly, reaching out and tracing a few fingers over Phil’s jawline, ignoring Phil’s ladies sitting on his couch in front of the fireplace. “They’ll be ecstatic for new mousers.” 

“I...I could visit?”  
  
“Of course,” Dan said, taking another step closer, bending down to pick up the kitten who was purring on Phil’s shoe. He didn’t say that the kittens likely wouldn’t remember Phil after a few weeks, wouldn’t say that and crush the hopeful look in Phil’s eyes. He turned and faced the two ladies who looked away quickly when he made eye contact with them. 

“Would one of you let the guard outside know to fetch Ser Marbles?”  
  
“At this hour?” Phil asked, nervously looking out the window at the twilight. “Surely they’ll be at dinner still.”   
  
Phil had said earlier he wanted to eat in Dan’s room again since the dining hall was a cacophony of scents and people. Dan couldn’t resist the idea of having Phil to himself again. Well, to himself and to Phil’s most trusted ladies, who were so devoted to Phil that Dan didn’t have the heart to send them away for privacy.

“I didn’t even notice the hour,” Dan said honestly. He turned back to face the ladies and corrected himself. “Can you let the guard know to let Ser Marbles know to come to my chambers where they are finished with eating dinner?” 

“Yes, m’lord,” Lady Pentland said, setting down her sewing materials on the settee and quietly going to the outer door to whisper to the guards outside. Dan took this opportunity to pick the kittens off of the floor near Phil’s feet and deposited them near Lady Wynn, hoping to abate some of the symptoms of his husband’s aversion to kittens. 

When Dan turned back to face Phil, Phil was looking forlornly at the kittens, all of them in involved in various activities in front of the fire. 

“I am terribly sorry,” Dan said. “I managed to find the one gift your body could not abide by.”  
  
“I love them,” Phil said, impassioned. 

“Well, you may love them, but your body does not,” Dan said, walking back to Phil and pressing two fingers under Phil’s chin, turning his face side to side with a gentle pressure. “You are red everywhere right now. I should send for the healer.”  
  
“Sorry, m’lord,” Phil said quietly. 

“You did nothing wrong,” Dan said, feeling himself blink in shock at the return of his more formal title. Had he upset Phil that much? “I. It was I who did not know about your condition. My deepest apologies.”  
  
“I. You did not know Daniel,” Phil said quietly, reaching out and gripping Dan’s wrist when he moved to pull his hand away. Phil looked in Lady Wynn’s direction for a moment before pressing a quick kiss into Dan’s palm, his cheeks a dark flush as he let go. “I thank you for my gift.”

“Is. Is there an animal you are not allergic to?”

“I used to play with the hunting dogs some,” Phil said. “But I could never ask for a hunting dog.”  
  
“What of a companion dog?”   
  
“That would be too much.”   
  
“I will find one for you.”   
  
“No, sire, that-”   
  
“That’s two.”   
  
“Sire-”   
  
“Three. Keep saying my name wrong and the number of dogs increases,” Dan teased, enjoying the way Phil’s eyes seemed to dance, even as they were slightly swollen. 

“M’lord,” Phil tried again.  
  
“Four? What color would you prefer your four dogs?”   
  
“Daniel, you are utterly ridiculous.”   
  
“Ah, I see four is your limit.”

“You will get me one, and only one, and that is final.”  
  
“Oh, if you insist,” Dan said, feeling a grin split across his face. 

Phil huffed and turned his back on Dan to walk over to the bed. Dan felt himself heat up watching as Phil sat primly on the edge of the bed. He wanted to push Phil back on to the bed and ravish him, swollen eyes, leaking nose, and all. He wanted to hear Phil gasp out his siren song and taste him again and again and again until it was the only thing he could taste in his life. It didn’t help when Phil met his eyes and Dan could see the way Phil’s eyes were more pupil than the blue-green-yellow color Dan was fond of trying to puzzle out. 

He took a few steps towards Phil, wanting a closer look at his eyes until he heard a cough that ruined the connection. Oh. That’s right, there was an audience. Dan towards Lady Wynn and gave her (what he hoped was) an apologetic smile. 

“My apologies, Lady Wynn, Lady Pentland,” Dan said. He felt the hair on his arm stand up on end as he heard a small growl eminent from the bed. Dan whipped his head back towards Phil, who looked just as surprised by the noise that had left his throat. 

“I...I apologize. I don’t know what came over me,” Phil said after a moment, looking away from his ladies. 

“It’s natural,” Lady Wynn said, her shoulders lifting up and down slightly. “You are uh...approaching your time.”

Dan was just surprised that something had the normally well-spoken Lady Wynn stumbling for words.

“We should give you some privacy instead of nattering on. We can have Ser Marbles directed to your chamber, Philip?”

“Yes, please do that,” Phil says quietly as he watches his ladies collect the kittens. “Umm...might. Might you be kind to them? Kiss them farewell for me?”  
  
Lady Wynn looks like she’d rather eat a slug than kiss the unwashed kittens but she nods anyway. Dan was willing to be three gold pieces that she did not actually kiss the kittens. Same for Lady Pentland, whose normally cheerful demeanor seemed to freeze for a moment, looking between the kittens and the Phil before slowly nodding. 

“Thank you,” Phil said, looking relieved. As soon as the ladies disappeared through the connecting door, Phil collapsed backwards onto the mattress, covering his face with his hands. He let out a sigh and rolled onto his side with a small noise.

Dan couldn’t resist the opportunity presented to him. He carefully situated himself at the headboard of the bed, looking down at Phil. He curled his hand around Phil’s shoulder, tilting the other until he was looking up at Dan through his fingers that still covered his face.

“I am mortified, sire. Please, leave me to perish,” Phil pleaded. 

“I thought your actions were quite charming,” Dan said with a teasing lilt, keeping his grip on Phil’s shoulder firm as he went to turn on his side again. “That little growl sent shivers up my spine.”  
  
“You don’t have to humor me,” Phil said, slowly lowering his hands away from his face. Dan nearly laughed when he saw Phil was glaring at him, but he also valued his fingers, which were within biting distance.

“I’m not. Go on, growl again, and I will show you what it does to me,” Dan said, removing his fingers from Phil’s shoulder.

He heard Phil huff but he gave a quiet growl, one that lacked the weight of the one from earlier, sounding more like play fighting than something warning. 

“Oh? He is a kitten, not a lion after all,” Dan said. “Do you only growl for an audience? I can bring back Lady Wynn-”

“ _No_ .”   
  
Phil let out a louder growl, this one less teasing, especially as he sat up quickly and met Dan’s eyes. His eyes were narrowed and red but the colors Dan could see were a storm. Dan did let out a shiver at this growl, positive that Phil could feel the vibrations of the mattress. He knew Phil could definitely feel the shiver Dan let out as he crawled into Dan’s lap. Dan gasped as Phil brought their mouths near enough to kiss but kept them a hair’s breadth away, teasing. Dan leaned in and let out a frustrated growl as Phil pulled back. 

“No,” Phil repeated, close enough that Dan felt Phil’s lips move more than heard the utterance. “No, you’re _mine_. You’re not Lady Wynn’s or anyone else’s.”

“Yours, I’m yours,” Dan swore, bringing a hand up to rub up and down Phil’s back, feeling the other shake in his arms. He was more sure of this statement than he was of anything else. He was Phil Lester’s, bewitched body and soul by the omega. He leaned in to kiss the other and was finally rewarded, the returned pressure against his lips sure and heady. 

Dan ran his hand up Phil’s spine, enjoying the way the other shivered against him, and he tangled his hand in the short hairs near Phil’s nape, using it to pull Phil closer. He bit down on Phil’s lower lip and hummed in satisfaction as Phil whined against him. He pulled back to see Phil, face flushed and breathing heavily, his eyes darting every which way, looking confused that the kissing had stopped.

“Not a lion, not a kitten, but a minx,” Dan said quietly, pulling Phil back against him, their teeth clinking slightly at the angle. Dan mumbled an apology against Phil’s lips but continued to kiss the other, letting out a groan when Phil’s fingers tangled in his hair and tugged. Phil pulled back and Dan tried to follow the other’s lips.   
  
“Help me,” Phil said, his fingers coming up to the front of his outfit of the day and began to try and undo the buttons near his neck. 

“Of course, of course,” Dan said, knocking Phil’s struggling fingers out of the way and popped the buttons off with a tug, ignoring Phil’s outraged gasp. He scowled, looking at the collar on Phil, wishing he could melt the damn thing down and bite Phil, show everyone that Phil was as his as he was Phil’s. But his tutors held the keys to their collars, not Dan, his father probably sensing his weakness for the omega.   
  
“Daniel, that’s going to take me ages to resew.”   
  
“Have Lady Pentland do it.” Dan shrugged as he struggled to undo one of the shirt laces.

“Just because you have no self-control-”  
  
“I am an alpha and have a beautiful omega in my lap,” Dan said before letting out a victorious noise as Phil’s collarbone was revealed to him. “I am exerting all the control I have _left_ .” He leaned forward and pressed a kiss in between the fabric on the protruding bone. He licked along what he could and growled in frustration when he ended up with fabric in his mouth.   
  
Phil pulled back from Dan with a roll of his eyes, his mouth pulled up at the corner in amusement. He lifted himself onto his knees and pulled from the bottom upwards to reveal the entirety of his chest. Dan tugged Phil close to him, tilting his head to encase one of Phil’s nipples in his mouth, giving a vicious suck. He pulled back and dragged the tip of his tongue across the nub, listening to Phil pant above him. 

“They’re...they’re sensitive,” Phil said, sitting back down more firmly in Dan’s lap, like the mere touch of Dan had drained him of strength. Dan ignored Phil’s statement, licking against it gently, enjoying the way Phil squirmed in his lap. He grabbed on to Phil’s hips and continued his exploration of Phil’s chest, feeling the minute twitches of Phil’s hips under his hands. 

“Daniel,” Phil whined as he gently blew cool air on Phil’s nipple. “Daniel?”

“Yes?”  
  
“I…,” Phil mumbled something that Dan couldn’t catch.

“Pardon?”  
  
“You too,” Phil said, his fingers coming up to play with the strings on Dan’s shirt. “I...I want to see you too.”

Dan felt himself practically melt at the meaning. “Of course, yes.” 

Together they struggled through getting Dan’s shirt off and Phil’s fingers came up to run across Dan’s chest. Dan shivered at Phil’s cold fingers, letting out a gasp when two pinched his right nipple. 

“Yours are sensitive too?” Phil asked, looking between Dan’s face and his nipples. 

“Yes,” Dan hissed, rolling his hips upwards against Phil’s ample bottom as Phil pinched both nipples between his fingers. Phil bent down and drew one into his mouth, Dan arching against Phil’s face as Phil slowly, experimentally swirled his tongue around the nipple. He nipped it before pulling away to lavish the same attention on the other nipple. Phil took his time after that, like he was looking for the best way to take Dan apart with only his mouth. 

Dan felt himself throb in his leggings at the thought of that same attention being paid attention to his cock. It felt almost profane to call it that when he had an undiscovered god of beauty in his lap. His nether regions? His prick? He was brought out of his word-finding by a sharp bite to the skin of his chest. It wasn’t deep enough to break skin but it was distracting enough he looked down at Phil, who leveled a glare at him.

“Focus,” Phil commanded, a commandment of Dan’s new religion. It was funny though, the idea he wasn’t focused on Phil in some way, shape, or form every minute. He couldn’t even imagine being mated if he was already so focused.

“I apologize,” Dan said, curling his fingers in the short hair at Phil’s nape again, tilting his head back. He leaned down and kissed Phil roughly, biting Phil’s lip harshly, wanting to prove he was focusing entirely on Phil. Phil laughed against his lips and pulled away. 

“Who were you thinking of?”  
  
Dan blinked in confusion. “Pardon?”   
  
“When I was...,” Phil cut himself off, gesturing to Dan’s chest. “You were thinking of someo- something.”   
  
“I was thinking of a different word for cock.”   
  
“...oh,” Phil breathed out, his eyes wide. Dan could see the flush across Phil’s cheeks go deeper. “I. Okay.”   
  
“What are you thinking about?” Dan asked teasingly.   
  
“Your...your…,” Phil struggled to say his thoughts, and Dan moved a hand to cup Phil’s cheek. Phil, who took the opportunity to run a trembling hand over the front of Dan’s hose, right over his cock. He gave it a squeeze and Dan gasped, his head tipping back. 

“Fuck,” Dan cursed. “Fuck.”  
  
“Filthy mouth,” Phil mumbled under his breath.

“No, it is _your_ mouth that is filthy. Your mouth has reduced me to this,” Dan said, closing his eyes and shuddering as Phil gave him another squeeze through his hose. Fuck, he was going to release in his hose like a younger boy. Man. Semantics. 

Dan rolled them over and pinned Phil with his body against the bed. “Stay.”

Phil met his eyes and nodded. “Yes, alpha.”

Dan let out a shiver at the title and slowly removed himself from Phil’s body. From his position, half bent over Phil, he could smell Phil’s arousal, citrusy and floral at the same time. He started to pull off Phil’s lower hose, looking up with another pair of hands joined his field of vision. 

“I told you to stay,” Dan chided gently, pushing Phil’s hands away. 

“But-”  
  
“Lay back down,” Dan said, pushing gently at Phil’s chest until the other laid back against the pillows. He leaned over Phil, pressing a gentle kiss to his red lips. Phil was looking up at Dan with those beautiful eyes. Gods, Dan thought, staring into his eyes, he was just gorgeous. He moved back down and completed his task of removing Phil’s hoses. He pressed a kiss to each of Phil’s pale ankles, before slowly making his way up Phil’s right leg, carefully kissing the soft skin. He did stop and press a bite into Phil’s hipbone, loving the way Phil’s hands tightened in his hair and held him close to the bite mark when Dan went to move his head. 

“More,” Phil gasped and Dan nipped the area next to the bite, feeling Phil squirm underneath him. His fingers tighten in Dan’s hair again, tugging. “Want your bite.” 

Dan moved over to Phil’s other hipbone and bit down again, feeling proud of the keening sound that leaves Phil’s mouth. 

“Not there,” Phil says, shaking his hair. Dan pulls back, ready to bite anywhere Phil wants him to. “I want to wear your bite _here_.” Dan looked up and saw Phil press against the side of the metal collar around his neck.

“Fuck,” Dan says, resting his forehead against Phil’s stomach. If he hadn’t already been ready, hard and leaking in his hose, he was _now_. “Want you to wear my bite.”

  
“Do it. Do it, do it, _doit_.” Phil was begging, sounding like a sob, and Dan felt so guilty. He sat back on his knees and leaned back over Phil’s body so they were face to face. 

“Soon, soon, I promise,” Dan said. “After your heat, I promise, it’ll happen after your heat.” By the end of his heat, Phil should catch, should soon have a child quickening in his womb. Then, after the child was born, Dan could sink his teeth into that glorious swan neck. Could show the entire world that Phil Lester had chosen _him_ .   
  
Phil let out a choked noise, shutting his eyes. “I want it.”   
  
“I know, darling.”

“Please?”  
  
“Soon,” Dan promised again, pressing a soft kiss, his unspoken oath, into Phil’s lips. He felt Phil whine against his lips, whining even louder as Dan’s fingers slowly slid into his soaked core. “Soon.”

-

Dan awoke the next morning as Phil left the bed, letting out a displeased noise as his blanket left the warm nest they had created during the night. He kept his eyes closed, listening to the way Phil moved around the bed, grumbling quietly about his ripped shirt. He must be going to morning prayer, Dan thought. He heard the creak of the bed again and Dan felt hopeful that Phil would rejoin him in their bed instead of leaving. He was disappointed when instead of laying back down, Phil simply pushed the hair off his forehead and pressed a kiss there. 

“Sweet dreams, heretic,” Phil said quietly and Dan couldn’t resist smiling, even with his eyes closed. He listened to Phil climb off the bed again, listened to the door between their rooms open and close, and Dan wished he could muster the desire to go to prayer. Maybe he was a heretic. He snorted quietly into the darkness before rolling into the small warm spot Phil left behind, small only because Phil seemed to prefer to use Dan as mattress and pillow, laying on him and curling around him until he barely even touched the feather mattress below them. He scooted down and only felt marginally pathetic as he tried to sniff out a hint of Phil’s lemon scent. 

When he was unsuccessful, he gave a sigh and rolled out of bed. Might as well get ready for the day at the very least. He stood up and stretched, wincing as some of the deeper scratches from Phil’s nail’s on his shoulders flexed. They had not gauged him or anything; he was not going to lose a limb, but they had drawn a little bit of blood. Phil had fretted when he’d seenDan’s back last night and had insisted on cleaning the marks and pressing tender kisses to them, apologizing until Dan ran his fingers across some of the bruises he had left on Phil’s thighs and hips. 

Dan gave another sigh, this one sounding more longing to his ears, and walked across the room to pull out his clothing for the day. White breeches and stockings, a white shirt, and a black doublet to go over the shirt, embroidered with gold thread and clusters of pearls over the breast. He debated wearing a jerkin and thought better of it, remembering the mild heat the day before. He pulled on his breeches and started to attach them to his stockings when one of his attendants burst into the room as if summoned by Dan’s struggles. Maybe they were; his attendants were oddly intuitive.

“Sorry m’lord, I did not realize you were awake,” announced his attendant, a newer beta whose name Dan was having trouble remembering, panting slightly as if they had run to the room. “Here, let me help you with that.” They bent down and began attaching the two hoses together. “How is your morning, m’lord?”  
  
“It is well,” Dan answered, smiling in amusement as his attendant began to hum a small tune as he tied a decorative gold ribbon through the connecting loops. Dan was not (okay, he was _slightly_ if his mother was to be believed) vain but he could admit that when he was finally dressed, that his thighs and calves looked good in the white hosiery instead of his more partial choice of black. He didn’t have to have padding for his calves like the French prince, Francis, who was rumored to slide in halved hams into his stocking to fill them out better. He thanked his attendant and watched as they puttered around the room, picking up clothes and other items, letting out a sigh as they looked in the corner where Dan’s desk was.

“M’lord, not to be a bother,” the attendant started, looking between Dan and the desk. “But what would you prefer we do with the desk?”

“Hmmm,” Dan hummed, looking at the small corner of his room where he wrote letters and occasionally read. Usually, he preferred to read in front of the fireplace, so in actuality, he tended to use his desk as a dumping ground for the various books and pamphlets he read. He should have them moved to the pitiful library the castle held but sometimes on nights when he couldn’t sleep, it was nice to wake up and read until sleep overcame him again. “Leave the desk for me. I’ll clean it up later tonight if it’s causing you and the others distress.” 

The attendant looked flushed and shook their head. “I, no, we are not distressed over the desk, m’lord! I promise!”

“Are you sure?” Dan asked, his tone light. 

“Yes, m’lord. Sorry to have vexed you,” the attendant said, looking at the floor and not meeting Dan’s eyes. 

“I am not vexed, I promise. It does look rather awful. My husband was lecturing me about quite recently,” Dan said, sounding so fond. Phil had spent a long period of time yesterday, when he was not choking on the kittens, trying to arrange the bedroom to his liking. The desk, with its barely stable book stacks and letters strewn everywhere, _had_ vexed Phil. “Leave it for now, I shall fix it later.”   
  
“Yes m’lord,” the attendant said, bowing deeply. Dan really needed to learn his name. 

He walked across the floor of his room and opened the door leading out into the hallway, Sir Luguori falling in next to him from across the doorway. 

“Morning,” Sir Luguori chirped cheerfully. 

“Am I that predictable that you can guess when I leave my room now?”  
  
“No, but I was sent on a sacred mission from knights of your father,” Sir Luguori said, causing Dan to look at him from the side of his eye. “You had a present in the courtyard.”   
  
“Had?”   
  
“Given the nature and condition of said present, I had them move it to the woodworker’s shed,” Sir Luguori said, rubbing the back of his neck. “Sorry if I overstepped my bounds, my little lord.”

Dan rolled his eyes at the teasing title but was more intrigued by the first sentence than the break in decorum. “The nature of the present?”  
  
“It is probably better if I show you,” Sir Luguori said. 

They walked quickly through the castle, hearing it slowly come to life, especially as they walked by the hallway to the prayer hall. They crossed the courtyard to the wood worker’s quarters and workshop. Dan felt his jaw drop at the contraption standing there.

The nature of the present indeed, Dan thought, the back of his neck heating up as he stared upon a breeding bench. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this is a little late but it’s better than never? -nervous laugh- 
> 
> Everyone should congratulate [itsmyusualphannie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/itsmyusualday/pseuds/itsmyusualphannie) for starting nursing school. I’m super proud of them and super appreciative that they beta’d this at like 3 am after starting school.


End file.
